International academic conference „Soviet Central Asia as a Totalitarian Testing Ground” - CALL FOR PAPERS - Instytut Pileckiego
The year 2026 marks several important anniversaries connected with the history of Soviet Central Asia, namely the 100th anniversary of the first Soviet census, which initiated the process of creating the “Soviet nations” of Central Asia; the 90th anniversary of the deportation of Polish and German populations from Soviet Ukraine; and the 40th anniversary of the December events in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which constituted an expression of national awakening.
In the context of these events, the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw is organizing an international academic conference entitled “Soviet Central Asia as a Totalitarian Testing Ground”, which will be held on 2–4 September 2026 at the Institute’s headquarters in Warsaw. The conference will bring together researchers both from Poland and abroad, who engage with interdisciplinary historical scholarship of twentieth-century Central Asia, the functioning of the Soviet system in the region, and the fate of civilian populations in the twentieth century, both indigenous communities and those resettled as a result of deportations. The conference will serve not only to present the latest research findings but also to foster international scholarly cooperation and to initiate new research projects concerning the communist totalitarianism in the countries of Central Asia, as well as to encourage deeper reflection on the nature of Russian-Soviet colonialism, its legacy, and forms of remembrance of its victims. It is also part of the event series “The First Poles – 90th Anniversary of the Deportation of Poles to Kazakhstan (1936)”.
The organisers intend for the conference to analyze the instruments of Soviet repression, including mass deportations of selected groups and entire nations, “dekulakization” campaigns, ethnic purges, famine as a tool of Sovietization and of “uprooting social remnants”, the functioning of the GULAG system, forced collectivization, policies aimed at the extermination of local elites, the destruction of religious and national structures, and the permanent control and indoctrination exercised by the party apparatus, the NKVD/KGB, and related institutions.
The conference will take into account the diversity of national experiences, enabling a comparison of models of resistance and survival, as well as forms of adaptation and functioning within the Soviet universe. An important element of the conference will be to reflect on the responses of communities affected by terror and Soviet social engineering in social, economic, and religious dimensions.
The international academic conference organized by the Pilecki Institute is the first initiative in Poland to bring together interdisciplinary research on Soviet Central Asia, a region with an exceptionally complex history of totalitarianism, mass repression, and forced deportations, that also include the experiences of Poles. To date, research in Poland has focused on isolated aspects of the subject, such as documentation of repression, ethnographic studies, or political science analyses related to global security. There remains a significant gap in comprehensive approaches to socio-cultural processes and to the mechanisms of adaptation and survival among deported and indigenous communities in the region.
The aim of the conference is to create a platform for the exchange of knowledge among
scholars representing various disciplines, including Soviet studies, anthropology, history, political science, and cultural studies. The meeting is intended to facilitate the sharing of experiences, which will allow for a better understanding of the nature of systemic violence and its long-term consequences for national and European identity. The discussions will also address both the earlier period and what came after.
Projekt finansowany ze środków budżetu państwa, przyznanych przez Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego w ramach Programu Wektory Nauki.